An Angel's Shadow (Shadria)
by SilenceOfSanctuary
Summary: "Your name is Shadow...Shadow the Hedgehog."


_54 Years Ago (4 Years Before Ark Invasion)_

A young blonde-haired girl ran down the hallway, still in her cat-printed pajamas and clutching a teddy bear. Men and women walked around her and smiled down at her as she passed but most kept moving, busy with their duties aboard their home: the Ark. The little girl could hear her grandfather's voice explaining it to her in her head as she dodged around more people, searching for the man himself.

_The Ark is what is known as a space colony, my granddaughter. It's a place where people can live in space for long periods of time. We do top-secret research for the government here. But I know you'll keep it hush-hush. _He had then winked at her before leaving for his duties.

Suddenly a large pair of hands swooped down and scooped up the little girl, sending her flying up in the air. She screamed with delight as those same hands caught her on the way down. "What're you doing up so early, my sweet?" The elderly man grinned up at her, his large white mustache prominent on his face, his eyes hidden behind his small glasses. He wore the white suit she was used to always seeing him in; be prepared, as he always said.

"I can't wait for my friend, Grandpa. I really want to see him." The little girl replied, gently tugging on his mustache with her little hands. The man boomed with laughter as he set her down and took her hand in his.

"Well then, why don't we go see him? He'll be ready by tonight we hope. You should at least be able to introduce yourself." The little girl squealed and jumped in excitement and followed her grandfather though the crowded hallways to the testing rooms.

There were several large containers filled with green liquid that stretched to the ceiling. People were milling about holding papers and pens, checking gauges and timers. Only one of these cylinders was about the little girl's size; it towered a few feet over her head. She reached up and her grandfather lifted her up onto the platform just below the window to see inside. She leaned in close to the glass, her hands on it, peering within.

In the green water-like liquid she could see a black hedgehog floating in the center of the chamber. He was probably a foot or so taller than her and his quills, which stuck up on both sides, were decorated with long splashes of red. His arms both had a single crimson stripe running all the way down to his index and middle fingers. His muzzle was covered with a black mask connected to a breathing tube to keep him from drowning.

The girl was fascinated; he was everything that Grandpa had promised he would be. Now she would finally have someone to play with who couldn't possibly get sick…

As she watched, the hedgehog twitched and stirred and slowly his eyes blinked open. The little girl gasped; he had the reddest eyes she had ever seen. She leaned even closer to the window, her grandfather still watching her protectively in case the experiment attempted to break free and harm her.

She brushed her blonde hair back from her face and stared into the eyes of the black hedgehog. She lowered her hands from the glass and simply watched him, fascinated. She heard her grandfather chuckle and move in beside her, also peering in. The hedgehog's eyes flicked between the two humans before settling back on the little girl.

"Amazing isn't he?" The little girl nodded; this hedgehog was truly a sign of her grandfather's great skill and mind.

"What is his name, Grandpa?" She looked up between the hedgehog and her grandfather, eager to know this small bit of information.

"We haven't given him a name yet, my sweet. We wanted you to name him." He tenderly stroked his granddaughter's hair as she clapped her hands; this was a big job and she wanted to get the title just right. "If I leave you here for a moment, will you stay put?" She nodded and watched as her grandfather went to meet a few other researchers to talk to them. She turned back to the black hedgehog who just watched her from the confines of his chamber, his ruby eyes never leaving the little girl before him.

"A name for you? Hmm…" For a long time she thought it through; it was a difficult decision. Being only eight she couldn't think of many titles to give her new friend. She sifted through her mental dictionary on male names yet none of them seemed to fit the being before her. She scratched the side of her shoulder-length blonde hair and pulled at it slightly, frustrated. "I wish it wasn't so hard…"

For over an hour she sat there, watching the black hedgehog watch her. And finally, just as she was about to give up hope of finding a name, a thought occurred to her. This creature was meant to shadow her everywhere she went…protect her and help her. The little girl held up a hand and placed it flat on the glass of the circular window.

"Your name…is Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog." As she watched the male hedgehog closed one finger after another on his right hand until it was fisted loosely at his side. With a slow, careful pace he raised his arm and reopened his fingers, placing his palm flat against the window where the little girl's palm was on its opposite side. She gasped softly, delighted that this creature truly was coming to life before her very eyes.

"S-shadow…the Hedgehog…" She could hear him speaking slowly through the tube, his voice coming through somewhat static-y from the computer. His voice…was comforting and warm. "A-and…your n-name?..." The black hedgehog had never lowered his palm from the glass and neither did the little girl.

She leaned closer so he could see her clearly, her blonde hair framing over the sides of her face. "I'm Maria…Maria Robotnik."

_52 Years Ago (2 Years Before Ark Invasion)_

"Come on Shadow!" Maria called out, brushing rapidly through her mid-back length blonde hair and tying it up in a messy ponytail. Shadow looked up from his book and his eyes half-lidded at his adopted sister.

"Do I have to go, Maria? You know if the G.U.N. soldiers see me your grandfather will kill you." Maria giggled at him.

"Grandfather wouldn't. He loves me too much." She pulled a small light blue package from the top drawer of her dresser and turned to Shadow, hiding it behind her back. "Do you remember what day it is?" Shadow blinked up at her and tossed the book aside onto the bottom bunk—his bed—and scratched the back of his quills.

"Should I?"

"It's your birthday, silly!" Maria held out the present before her towards the black hedgehog. "Happy birthday!" Shadow, confused, stood up and took the present from her, holding it gently in his white-gloved hands.

"Maria…what is a birthday?" She knew he would ask; the year before there had been an accident and the entire population of the Ark had to be evacuated for security's sake. They hadn't had time to celebrate Shadow's first birthday so Maria had promised to herself she would make sure this one got a proper commemoration.

"It's kind of like a stepping stone. It shows that you've aged a year." Maria tapped the top of the light blue box; Shadow's present had taken her forever to wrap just right. She had traded some of her best items for his present. She really hoped the black hedgehog liked it.

"And…a present?" He shook the box lightly and could hear a vague tapping inside as whatever was within moved back and forth. He knew what these were; he had seen the whole crew of the Ark get together for Maria's tenth birthday a few months back. While he knew what presents were, no one had bothered to explain what a birthday really meant.

"Just open it." She pushed the package into his chest and he fell back onto his bunk. She giggled as he gave her a hard look. "Come on, Shadow." His frown slowly melted back into a smile; he just couldn't stop himself from being happy around her. He fingered the blue paper lightly before tearing into it as he had seen her do. Underneath the paper was a simple brown box, a bit bigger than the size of his hand. He looked up at Maria, his gaze half-lidded once more.

"You got me a box?" Maria burst into a fit of giggles and shook her head, motioning at the black hedgehog to continue. He found a slip to open the lid and pulled it; the lid popped free and slowly unsealed before him.

Inside were two hand-sized rings, glinting up at him. They were a yellow-gold color and they gleamed ever so slightly in the lights above them. Shadow reached down slowly and took one from the box, holding it up before his eyes to inspect it. "Rings?"

"They're called inhibitor rings. Do you remember how you said you were having a hard time controlling your chaos energy?" Shadow nodded, his gaze flickering between her and the ring before him. "If you wear them, they're supposed to help with control. I would have had you try them out to see if they work but I didn't want to spoil the surprise." Maria grinned at him, watching him take the other ring out before setting the box beside him on his bunk. "Here." Gently Maria took the rings from his grasp and slipped them over his hands, clicking them shut on his wrists by the edges of his gloves. Shadow could instantly feel a difference in his body, as though the chaos energy his body seemed to self-generate was stemming itself.

"It does feel different." Shadow turned his arms, gazing at the rings from different angles. Maria clapped her hands in delight, pleased that they worked for him.

"Come on, Shadow! I'll need your help getting into the air vents." Maria opened the door to her room and Shadow stood, still admiring the bracelets, and followed his younger charge out the door. Many people stopped to admire Shadow. Even two years after his creation he was considered nothing short of a miracle.

_After leaving his green liquid chamber he had begun to deteriorate. His molecular density was not stable enough. His black fur melted in patches and he felt red dripping down his muzzle. The researchers, scrambling about in a panic, quickly put together another chamber and stowed him away inside it until he managed to maintain his form. He remembered Maria had never left his side, a constant vigil in his window. She didn't eat or sleep for two days until he was released once more with a much more stable molecular structure fashioned with partial human DNA._

"Shadow, snap out of it!" Maria was clicking her fingers in front of his face and he jumped slightly in surprise, his eyes un-glazing and he looked up at her. She pointed a finger at an open air duct above their heads. "Think you can lift me up there?" Shadow rolled his eyes and kneeled slightly, cupping his hands together. With one foot Maria stepped tenderly into them and stood up; Shadow was barely shaken. He raised himself slowly and pushed up so Maria could climb inside. The duct was more than big enough for two; with the Ark being so huge air had to be transferred in large amounts. "Come on, Shadow." She reached her hand down, leaning heavily forward. Shadow jumped and took her hand. With a bit of effort, she succeeded in dragging him up the wall and into the air vent.

Their trek wasn't that long; the room Maria wished to watch was only a few down. Trying to be as quiet as they could, the hedgehog and human both crawled down the air vents; Maria was claustrophobic but bore through it, knowing she needed to see what her grandfather and G.U.N. were talking about. Shadow touched her back comfortingly and Maria smiled at him. He really was the best adopted brother.

"—the facts just don't support further research in the field, Mr. Robotnik." A deep voice spoke from up ahead. Maria crawled faster and placed herself right before the air duct. Using a small lock in the side, she opened the shafts ever so slightly so she could see inside the room. Shadow moved in beside her, his curiosity building.

"We need that funding, Greyson. We need to at least finish what we started. There's no point in stopping a project when we're so close to finishing it." Shadow recognized the voice of the professor, Maria's grandfather, ahead. Peering through the slats, he could vaguely make out the professor's white lab coat but could not see his face. Four other men in black-green military gear also stood in the room. The one the professor had addressed was a tall black man in what seemed to be his late forties. He had a rifle strapped across his back and ammunition along his belt. Shadow kept a protective hand on Maria's back, ready to pull her away at any moment.

"You take orders from me, do you understand? You will stop construction on the Eclipse Cannon. G.U.N. officials no longer want that much power to be possibly used against the planet. It's too dangerous." The man was glaring at the professor; they were in the middle of a heated argument.

"Then what are we supposed to do with a dead cannon?!" The professor exclaimed, his face turning red.

"How is the work going on Project Shadow?" Greyson asked, dramatically changing the subject. "That's where most of our funding went and what G.U.N. is most interested in. The Ultimate Life Form." The professor started wringing his hands behind his back; Shadow could sense his nervousness. He tapped Maria on the shoulder and tugged on her coat slightly, wanting them to leave. Knowing they had been here too long as it was, she nodded in agreement, and the two began to crawl back into the room from which they came.

Maria crawled out first, going backwards, her face blank from what they had heard. It wasn't much but now she knew she had to be more protective of Shadow. If G.U.N. was so interested, she had to make sure he didn't do anything rash to set them off. She dropped and Shadow began to climb out after her.

Suddenly a cry came from Maria and Shadow whirled his head around. She had been caught by a G.U.N. agent and was struggling in his grip. "What're you doing in here?!" Using his hold on the wall, Shadow charged his jump and flung himself at the officer, knocking him backwards and Maria out of his grasp. The guard attempted to grab Shadow but the black hedgehog was a blur; he crashed into the guard once more and knocked him back with a punch to the gut.

"Shadow no! Stop!" Maria called for him and his anger dwelled but was not diminished. The agent was panting for breath and clutching his stomach. Shadow growled and his fur raised with the protective fury flowing in his body. Running footsteps in the hall outside led to the door to the room crashing open. Shadow nearly charged again but Maria grabbed his hand, stopping him. He turned and looked at her and there were tears on her cheeks. _Maria…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. I was just trying to protect you._ Shadow could see the light bruises that formed on her arms from where the guard had squeezed her fragile skin.

"What is going on here?!" The black man, Greyson, barked loudly, staring between Shadow, Maria and the hurt officer. "Get him out of here." The three other men that had accompanied Greyson went forward and helped the other man limp out, all shooting the black hedgehog death glares as they left. "So…this must be the Ultimate Life Form you 'hadn't made much progress on', hmm Robotnik?" The professor could only stutter and hang his head. Maria hugged Shadow close to her; on her knees he was taller than her. He gently stroked her hair as he stared down the G.U.N. officer. "I'd say my time here has been overspent." With that Greyson turned and left the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Maria finally stood and went to her grandfather and hugged him. He held a hand out for Shadow and he also approached; the professor crushed both of his grandchildren, one real, one adopted, against him.

"I fear we might all be in terrible danger…"

_50 Years Ago (The Night of the Invasion)_

Maria, now twelve, sat opposite of Shadow in their bedroom, playing a card game. She slapped her hand down to try and get the stack but Shadow was quicker; he always won at this game. He grinned at her and tossed her the pack of cards. She began working the tab so they could play again.

It had been two years since G.U.N. had come to the Ark to check up on things. Both Shadow and Maria had noticed that as more time passed, Robotnik had begun to get more and more paranoid. He was certain that G.U.N. was planning something but everyone had just shrugged off his maxims as mistrust; G.U.N. had always been fair to the people aboard the Ark. Why would they stop now?

Maria suddenly stopped and ran to her dresser, pulling out a light-blue covered box. This was their usual ritual on Shadow's birthday; she would always have a present for him wrapped in blue paper.

Suddenly a loud explosion threw Maria forward as she turned back towards him, losing the present. Shadow caught her easily and stood, touching the inhibitor rings she had given to him two years ago on his birthday. "What was that?" The present now laid forgotten under his bunk.

The door to their room slid open and the professor stumbled in coughing. "You two must run. Someone had betrayed us. G.U.N. is here…they're going to destroy you Shadow." Shadow's ruby eyes widened and he felt Maria take his hand and squeeze tightly. "Both of you use one of the escape pods on the other end of the Ark. Make your way carefully…go. I will stop the G.U.N. soldiers here and give you time to get away." The professor cried as he pushed Shadow and Maria out into the hall and shut the door behind them, darting back into Maria's room as he began making a makeshift weapon to hold back the soldiers. In the distance the two could hear screaming and gunfire.

"Let's go." Shadow swung Maria up in his arms and took off, his speed becoming useful for a change. He had always hated that he could never fully run in the Ark, but now he had a job to do: protecting his younger charge. He ran with Maria for a time, avoiding G.U.N. soldiers and turning Maria's head away from rooms splattered in the blood of fellow friends and workers, not wanting her young mind tainted with those images. _Such an innocent little girl…_

"Shadow, stop!" Maria spoke and immediately Shadow braked to a halt. They had stopped before a large door. He set her down and she swiped her card—the one that constantly hung around her neck—in the key slot and typed in a code. The light flashed green and the door opened to reveal four or five G.U.N. soldiers and a corpse-filled room.

"There they are!" One called out and all of them raised their weapons at once. Maria slammed her hand down on the control panel and the door crashed shut, hearing the bullets imbedding themselves into the metal.

"This way, Maria!" Shadow took her hand and dashed down the long curving hallway, hearing her panting for air behind him as she struggled to keep up. He could hear the bending of the metal door and pounding footsteps behind them; the G.U.N. soldiers were after them. Maria opened another door and there it was: the escape pod. Again Maria locked the door behind them and began to make preparations for the pod, making sure it had been depressurized and the oxygen tanks were working. Shadow double checked that the door was securely locked and hurried over to Maria.

"Is it all set?"

"Just about. I just have to—" A loud crash sounded behind them and the two whirled around. The G.U.N. soldiers had forced the door open and all had their pistols raised towards Shadow and the girl. He stepped in front of Maria to shield her and this was where everything seemed to slow down. The bullets left the muzzles of the guns and flew forward towards them. Shadow was knocked aside by a surprisingly heavy force and watched in horror as Maria, his adopted sister, was shot before his eyes.

"No! MARIA!" Shadow howled in agony and charged at the G.U.N. soldiers, knocking them all back into the hallway. He forced the door closed again and, using a nearby piece of metal, jammed it into the gears to block the door. He could hear banging and prying metal on the other side; they would get in again but it would take time.

Shadow turned and ran to Maria's side, falling to his knees beside her. "Maria…" She suddenly opened her eyes and sat up. Shadow's heart raced with joy but it was short-lived. Blood was splattered over the front of her dress and a small dribble leaked from the corner of her mouth. She grabbed Shadow by the arms and threw him forward into the escape pod, slamming the door closed.

Shadow placed his hands on the glass and beat at it. It refused to give under his fists. Tears began to swell up under his eyes. "No! Maria, don't do this!" She was holding the red switch that would send the pod flying down to Earth. She looked at Shadow and flipped the switch. She suddenly collapsed, too weak to stand, yet she still managed to weakly drag herself over to the black hedgehog, placing one of her palms against the glass opposite his. Her tears matched his own as she looked at his stricken, horrified face. She could hear the hum of the pod as it began to power up to descend to the Earth's surface.

"Shadow…you must remember the good in people. I-I know this wasn't the best introduction to others from Earth but…you need to remember the people you met and knew here these last four years…J-just remember their kindness…" Shadow could feel the tears sliding down his muzzle, his teeth grit in agony. He refused to move his palm from where Maria's was on the glass.

"I can't leave you, Maria…come with me. We'll get you help!" Maria smiled slightly at his love for her, but she knew what he could not accept: she wasn't getting out of here alive. She clutched her belly where the bullets had gone through…she was fading…and fast.

"Shadow…promise me…you'll p-protect the human race…and that you'll…remember the g-good in people…promise me…" She could barely keep her eyes open and Shadow wept in misery; his sister…his only true friend…

"I…I promise, Maria."

"I love you…Shadow the Hedgehog."

"I-I love you too…Maria."

With that Maria smiled once more and she slowly collapsed sideways away from the pod, her hand leaving a sticky bloody handprint on the glass. Her body lay still and the air was filled with a foreboding silence as she finally passed on. Shadow wept and buried his face in his hands as the pod's engine hummed louder. He beat at the glass, desperate to save the girl he had loved so much.

"Maria! MARIA!"

Just as the pod launched, the door across the room cracked open and Shadow saw the G.U.N. soldiers look at him and the body of the dead girl laying before him. He gazed one last time at Maria and then he was flying through space…surrounded by stars.

_**Author's notes/reviews:**_

_**Well, I'd never done a Shadow/Maria story before so I decided I might as well try it. I really wanted to make the two feel like brother and sister; I can only hope I accomplished that.**_

_**I tried to keep what few details are given about the incident from the actual storyline; I'm sure I missed a detail or two or screwed something up…I know the dialogue from what Maria says in Sonic Adventure 2 (before sending Shadow to Earth) isn't right but I know that' s the jist of it…Nobody's perfect. T-T**_

_**I'm also sorry if the ending seemed abrupt. I just wanted to tell the story of Maria and Shadow together while she was alive. I wish Maria was still alive. Every time I even picture her being killed by G.U.N. I want to cry. Poor Shadow. ;-;**_

_**Leave a like/favorite or whatever you guys do! Reviews are always appreciated! xP**_


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